Bill > S1380

This bill establishes a loan repayment program designed to encourage specialty medicine physicians and other specialty healthcare providers to work in rural communities experiencing healthcare professional shortages. The program allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services, through the Health Resources and Services Administration, to enter into agreements with physicians and providers where the government will repay a portion of their educational loans in exchange for a 6-year commitment to work full-time in a rural community with a shortage of specialty medical services. Specifically, the program will pay 1/6 of the principal and interest on eligible loans for each year of service, with a total maximum repayment of $250,000. Eligible loans include federal student loans and loans related to specialty medical education. Participants must work continuously or with no more than one year between service periods, and they cannot receive loan forgiveness from other federal programs simultaneously. The bill also includes provisions for reporting to Congress on the program's effectiveness, updating public data on specialty medical workforce availability, and establishing potential liquidated damages for breach of agreement. Non-physician specialty healthcare providers are limited to receiving no more than 15% of the program's funding, and the program is authorized for funding from fiscal years 2025 through 2034.

Health and Social Services

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1380/all-info